Virginia social worker claims she was fired from job for simply having a concealed carry permit — but not a gun

A young Virginia woman's story is going viral over the weekend after she claims she was fired from her job as a social worker for simply possessing a permit to carry concealed weapons.

The woman claims that at the time of her termination, she wasn't carrying a weapon.

What happened?

Storm Durham, who was until Friday a social worker for the city of Roanoke, posted on social media that she was fired from her job for being a legal concealed carry permittee and was escorted out of her workplace by three police officers upon learning of her termination because, as she claimed, she was deemed a "safety risk." At the time, Durham said she was not in possession of a firearm.

The 22-year-old woman later went to her Facebook page to explain the full story.

In a lengthy post, Durham explained she was fired simply for having the concealed carry permit. She said she never had a firearm or concealed weapon while at work.

"I was fired today due to having a concealed carry permit. Was my gun on me? No. Has it ever been on me during my job, or visits, or anything related to work? No. When I told them that it has never been on me during work, what did they say? 'How do we know that.' Search me. Do I have a criminal record? No," she wrote.

Durham, who said she is 5'2" and just 140 pounds, went on to question why she needed to be escorted out of her office by three police officers and why she was deemed a "serious safety concerns to the building."

She wrote:

I have a concealed carry permit. I own guns. I hunt. I target shoot. I represent Women hunters and outdoorswomen. Does that make me a criminal? Does that make me a safety risk to others? A big enough safety risk to be escorted by three Roanoke City Police officers? So scary and threatening that I need to be treated like a criminal? To be humiliated and looked down upon for owning a gun? For legally having a gun, registering that gun, and having the appropriate documentation for that gun?

Later in her post, Durham said her employer should be "ashamed" for its actions, for firing "a innocent, clean record, white, female, college graduate who works for a living for legally having, and owning a gun."

"That was NEVER on their property or in their building. A gun that was never used for evil, but as protection as I am a survivor or sexual assault. Protection for being that white, 22 year old, female. I am an American," she added.

She later posted a Facebook live video describing more of what happened to her:

Was the termination legal?

According to one interview with Durham, she believes it was not. The Commonwealth of Virginia is a right-to-work and at-will work state, meaning an employer can dismiss employees without reason or notice while employees can quit without reason or notice.

However, since Durham believes her termination was in violation of her Second Amendment rights, she will likely lawyer up and fight her termination, which is what hundreds of people have urged her to do.